City Crews Prepare for Freeze/Thaw Cycle

Prince George, B.C. – While many residents enjoy the warmer, above seasonal temperatures this week, it’s not all fun and games for everyone – namely city work crews.

In fact, the freeze/thaw cycle creates a race against time.

“I think anytime we get above zero we have to do everything we can to try and make sure we’ve got the catch basins open,” says streets operations supervisor Mick Jones.

“Not only getting all the snow removed from the last snow event, we’re focusing on trying to get the snow windrows all picked up so when the water does start to melt it goes into the catch basins so it doesn’t create puddles and hazards all over the roads.”

With temperatures above zero during the day and below zero at night, he advises motorists to “drive to conditions” and to give equipment operators lots of room to manoeuver though that’s seldom what happens.

“We deal with it all the time where people are crowding snow equipment or they’re trying pass truck plows,” says Jones. “I don’t know if there’s anything we can do because it doesn’t seem to matter what we say or do. They drive the way they want.”